


Learning is our Liberty

by yet_intrepid



Category: Les Misérables - Victor Hugo
Genre: Gen, Nursery Rhymes, of a sort anyway
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-04
Updated: 2013-06-04
Packaged: 2017-12-14 00:00:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/830353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yet_intrepid/pseuds/yet_intrepid
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jehan calls upon his creative powers to get Gavroche interested in learning the alphabet.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Learning is our Liberty

**Author's Note:**

> The rhymes only work with the French pronunciations of the letters (of which you can easily find videos on youtube should you wish.)

“Hey Gavroche,” Jehan said one day, sitting down on the stairs to the back room of the Musain, “you ever learn your letters?”

“Letters,” said Gavroche, “what’d I want those for?”

Jehan was prepared for that question. “Lots of reasons,” he said, pulling out a scrap of paper and a pencil. “But look.” And he started writing the letters as he went into a tune—

_A, B, C, abaissé, we’ll raise up the abaissé_   
_D et E, say adieu, tyranny we’ll bid adieu._   
_F et G, our objet, we’ve free speech for our objet_   
_H, I, J et K et L, express thoughts individuels!_

Gavroche could not resist a new song, least of all one which proclaimed against tyranny. He sang after Jehan enthusiastically, even watching as Jehan pointed out the letters that they were using in each line. On the third time through the stanza, Jehan handed Gavroche the pencil, and he pointed to the letters himself.

“That all of them?” he asked, when they were done.

“Not all.” Jehan chuckled. “You want the rest of the song?”

Gavroche did.

_M, N, O, old Rousseau, learn of rights from old Rousseau_   
_P, Q, R, révolutionnaires, we’ll be révolutionnaires_   
_S et T, liberté, learning is our liberté_   
_U V W X Y, fight for les Français, les Polonais, les Grecs!_   
_We’ve reached Z, that’s the alphabet_   
_We’ll use it for l’abaissé._

When Gavroche went off singing twenty minutes later, Combeferre came down from the top of the stairs, where he had been watching.

“Well done, Jehan,” he said. “I didn’t think we’d ever find a way to interest Gavroche in letters.”

“He still doesn’t know what they do,” Jehan pointed out. “But it is a step, I suppose.”

“It’s a very big step,” said Combeferre, sitting down on the stairs beside Jehan. “And he’s spreading it, too. Both the education and the concepts.”

Jehan ducked his head with a shrug. “That’s the power of poetry,” he said. “It sticks with people, and they want to share it. Although admittedly a poor but catchy rhyme can be better for that than a bit of well-crafted verse. It’s unfortunate, but true.”

Combeferre smiled at him. “Either way,” he said, “the work will be done, and lives will be bettered, and that is what matters.”

“Yes,” said Jehan. “That is what matters. They will learn, at least a little, and learning is our liberty.”


End file.
